Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A550
68 Imaging
59 Features
93 Overall
72
63 Imaging
54 Features
65 Overall
58
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A550 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 4096 x 2160 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 574g - 134 x 91 x 67mm
- Launched September 2016
- Succeeded the Olympus E-M1
- Later Model is Olympus E-M1 III
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Introduced December 2009
- Old Model is Sony A100
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Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A550, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and A550 (14MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and A550 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizing.
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banThe E-M1 II was manufactured 6 years after the A550 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick summation of how the E-M1 II matches up against the A550 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 II over the Sony A550
| E-M1 II | A550 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | September 2016 |  | December 2009 | More modern by 83 months |
| Display type | Fully Articulated |  | Tilting | Fully Articulating display |
| Display resolution | 1037k |  | 922k | Sharper display (+115k dot) |
| Selfie screen |  | Easy selfies | ||
| Touch friendly display |  | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Olympus E-M1 II
| A550 | E-M1 II |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M1 II and Sony A550
| E-M1 II | A550 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus |  | Very precise focusing | ||
| Display dimension | 3" |  | 3" | Identical display measurement |
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison
In case you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 II offers physical measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") with a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) whilst the Sony A550 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).
Look at the Olympus E-M1 II versus Sony A550 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-M1 II versus the A550.
Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 II and A550 is 68 and 63 respectively.
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison
Oftentimes, it can be difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizes merely by viewing a spec sheet. The pic below will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 II and A550.
As you can see, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 II due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh harder and the Olympus E-M1 II will render greater detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics much more aggressively. The younger E-M1 II should have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.
Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-M1 II vs Sony A550 Specifications
| Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Olympus | Sony |
| Model type | Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II | Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 |
| Class | Pro Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Launched | 2016-09-19 | 2009-12-09 |
| Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor | TruePic VIII | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 17.4 x 13mm | 23.4 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor area | 226.2mm² | 365.0mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 20MP | 14MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest resolution | 5184 x 3888 | 4592 x 3056 |
| Highest native ISO | 25600 | 12800 |
| Min native ISO | 200 | 200 |
| RAW files | ||
| Min boosted ISO | 64 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Autofocus touch | ||
| Continuous autofocus | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Selective autofocus | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Autofocus multi area | ||
| Autofocus live view | ||
| Face detection autofocus | ||
| Contract detection autofocus | ||
| Phase detection autofocus | ||
| Total focus points | 121 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Available lenses | 107 | 143 |
| Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Screen type | Fully Articulated | Tilting |
| Screen size | 3" | 3" |
| Resolution of screen | 1,037k dots | 922k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch friendly | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder resolution | 2,360k dots | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | 100 percent | 95 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | 0.53x |
| Features | ||
| Lowest shutter speed | 60 secs | 30 secs |
| Highest shutter speed | 1/8000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Highest silent shutter speed | 1/32000 secs | - |
| Continuous shooting rate | 60.0fps | 7.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Change white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash distance | 9.10 m (at ISO 100) | 12.00 m |
| Flash modes | Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| External flash | ||
| AEB | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Highest flash synchronize | 1/250 secs | 1/160 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM, 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM | - |
| Highest video resolution | 4096x2160 | None |
| Video data format | MOV, H.264 | - |
| Mic support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Built-In | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 574g (1.27 lb) | 632g (1.39 lb) |
| Dimensions | 134 x 91 x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO All around rating | 80 | 66 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 23.7 | 21.9 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 12.8 | 11.8 |
| DXO Low light rating | 1312 | 807 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 350 pictures | 480 pictures |
| Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | BLH-1 | NP-FM500H |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Type of storage | Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
| Card slots | Dual | Single |
| Launch price | $1,700 | $749 |